Every now and then it's a good idea to pause, take a nice deep breath
and examine where you've been. Whether in tennis, on Wall Street, or
in the operating room, performers all need time to reflect and view
the scene from afar. It's so easy to be caught up in daily
challenges and lose the long-term focus. Since repetition
facilitates learning, let's reach deep into our mental equipment box
and pull out the oldies as well as the more recent goodies. I only
hope this is more fun than home movies!

The Mental Equipment column made its debut in July, 1995 when the
words internet and email
were still foreign to many. I stumbled upon the Tennis Server that
year and decided it would be a great place to post a few articles.
It's been so much fun that I haven't stopped! The first article
introduced
the cutting edge science and profession of sport psychology. I hope
by now you understand that sport psychology is a great source of
knowledge and well being for many competitive endeavors. Benefits
are beginning to be realized but many still have not fully heard the
sport psychology message.

Many considered this an attempt to upstage Viagra before FDA
approval, but I had to reassure readers that I was just helping them
manage their intensity level. Those who heard this improved
considerably!

We really have spent a lot of time together. I would like to hear
from you ALL about which tips are most and least helpful. Your
feedback to me using this form is appreciated and crucial in developing ideas for future
topics. There are thousands of articles that could be written on the
psychology of performance! I hope this doesn't discourage you, but
helps you develop an even greater thirst for mental equipment.
Remember that your opponent may be reading about sport psychology
too!

Over the past 3 1/2 years I've really enjoyed sharing Mental
Equipment with you, and there is so much more to learn. I look
forward to introducing my new book to you. It's entitled "Smart Tennis: How to Play and Win the Mental Game."
Advanced ordering information and the Smart Tennis Tip of the Week are
available at Dr. John's Smart Tennis Book page at:
http://www.smarttennis.com. Comments regarding Smart Tennis should be
directed to me using this form.

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Dr. John F. Murray is currently a licensed clinical psychologist and sport psychologist in Florida. In addition, he is a tennis professional (having taught tennis internationally in North America, Hawaii, Europe, Middle East), formerly certified with both USPTA and USPTR. He has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and masters degrees both in Clinical Psychology and Exercise & Sport Sciences from the University of Florida. He maintains a personal web site at http://www.johnfmurray.com/.

Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to John by using this form.

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